National Parks be for all Americans to share and love . And when something like a fossil or footprint go lacking , it stinks for everyone , include us Americans and scientists who need to cognise the footmark ’s locating to avail see the animal that made it .

A footprint fossil go missing from a lakebed at Death Valley National Park on the border of Nevada and California . This week , investigators are occupy the search astray , asking park goers if they ’d run across anything shady or acknowledge the packer in the above photograph , and offering a thousand dollar sign payoff for information about who might have take on the priceless fossil .

“ I ’m sure they could be sell on the calamitous market place , ” Linda Slater , the Death Valley National Park ’s honcho of interpretation , told Gizmodo . “ But I have no idea what the value would be — the economic value is to the populace . Like the National Parks , it ’s something that belong to all of us . ”

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

Investigators have ground to believe the men pictured above may have entropy about the fossils . Additionally , one of the packer has a seeable alloy detector in the photo , target out a Death Valley Facebook commenter . Metal detecting isforbiddenin National Parks .

The scientist discovered the three to five million - year - old footprints missing when they chatter the site for research last month . Investigators are now contrive to interview phratry who had visited the ballpark during that time who may have some info or said something .

Slater was n’t sure of what kind of fauna the fossils came from , but they were in all probability small animals more likely to depart print on the lakebed during the sentence point .

William Duplessie

And it suck up that the fossils are n’t in their current location . Part of fossil ’ importance to scientists is being able to say the news report of the property they ’re from , and something like a step can elucidate how animals interacted with and traveled around their environments .

And Death Valley fan just require the vandalism and thefts to finish .

“ There ’s a lot of people who really love Death Valley , ” said Slater . “ People are distressed about it . There ’s been a lot of vandalism or knowing desecration over division of the parking lot in the past few month . ”

Starship Test 9

If you recognize the backpackers , the parking lot asks that you call the Investigative Services Branch at 888 - 653 - 0009 .

[ Death Valley National Park ]

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